New dignity and strength through dairy cattle: Keeping dairy cattle offers many women in India the opportunity to provide for their families despite difficult living conditions and to earn their own income.
Most members of Kolping India are women from very poor backgrounds. They live with their families in remote rural areas. Dairy cows and buffaloes, but also goats, serve as an additional source of income for the women. In addition to housework and caring for their children, the women can look after the cattle. The manure helps them improve their harvests, and the milk is healthy for the children and serves as a source of income.
Empowerment
60 women were recently supported in the purchase and rearing of the animals. One of them is 42-year-old Viji from Tamil Nadu. Since her husband’s accidental death, the day laborer has had to care for her two daughters on her own. Thanks to the cow she received through the project, Viji can sell nine liters of milk to her neighbors every day, providing her with additional income. She keeps one liter of milk for her children.
Goat farming as a source of income
After the death of her husband, Kolping provided support to Veronica, a widow from Bangalore. As a Kolping member, she was part of a savings group and took part in Kolping training courses, including a training course for small businesswomen. This led to the plan to start her own business breeding goats. A small loan enabled her to buy her first goats: “As part of the dairy cattle project, I received 15,000 rupees (around 140 euros), with which I bought four goats. As the prices were high locally, I searched in rural areas and bought them at a lower price. That’s how I got four goats – two adults and two kids. My son helps me with the goat farming. In the future, I would like to expand this activity and turn it into a farm. I am deeply grateful to Kolping.”
This film by Kolping India reports on the dairy cattle project (English)
